Telecoms firm Cable and Wireless Communications said profit rose 9 percent in the first half, beating a consensus forecast, after receiving a boost from growing smartphone use in Macau, Panama, Monaco and the Maldives.

C&W Communications on Thursday posted net profit before exceptional items of $163 million in the first six months of the year, compared to a forecast of $150 million from a company-supplied poll of 16 analysts.

The group, which traces its history back to British cable companies founded in the 1860s and which demerged from the former Cable & Wireless in March 2010, said it was on track for the full-year despite global economic uncertainty.

Mobile Data has shown rapid growth in a number of our markets, a trend that we expect to continue in the second half and future years as the penetration of smart devices continues to increase, Chief executive Tony Rice said in a statement.

Performance in the Caribbean, historically C&W Communication's key market, stabilized, the company said, although Jamaica remained difficult.

The company said it would pay an interim dividend of 2.67 cents per share, in line with what it paid last year, and that shareholders should expect to receive 8 cents per share for the full-year 2011.

Shares in the company, which have fallen 22 percent in the last six months, closed at 36.5 pence on Wednesday, valuing the company at 915.2 million pounds ($1.46 billion).

(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Rhys Jones)

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